Box buckle



Jan- 21 1964 R. A. BEGHETTO, JR l 3,118,201

Box BUCKLE Filed March 20, 1962 f mm n m y Hf 5+ 5 i if "f ya 3,118,261 BOX BUCKLE Raymond A. Beghetto, 1r., 1908 W. 22nd, Cheyenne, Wyo. Filed Mar. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 181,063 3 Claims. (Cl. 24-16) This invention relates to box fasteners, and more particularly to an improved fastening buckle assembly for use on the hinged cover segments of a corrugated cardboard carton.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved fastening buckle assembly for a corrugated cardboard carton, the assembly being relatively simple in construction, being easy to install, and providing an etiicient means for holding the hinged cover sevments of a carton in closed positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening buckle assembly for detachably securing together the hinged cover segments of a corrugated cardboard carton, the assembly involving relatively inexpensive components, providing a reliable connection between the hinged cover segments to maintain them closed, and enabling various types of corrugated cardboard cartons to be efficiently employed as storage containers without requiring any substantial modification of the cartons.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view, partly in longitudinal vertical cross section, of an improved fastening buckle assembly according to the present invention shown installed on the hinged cover segment of a corrugated cardboard carton.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the fastening buckle assem ly of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical longitudinal cross sectional view, similar to FIGURE l, but showing the tongue member ot the assembly partially engaged in the sleeve member thereof during the securement of the cooperating elements of the buckle assembly.

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal vertical cross sectional view, similar to FIGURE 4, but showing the cooperating elements in inally interlocked secured positions.

6 is a transverse vertical cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 6 5 of FlGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 7 7 of FlGURE 3.

FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of the adjacent marginal portions of the cover segments of the cardboard carton shown in FIGURES 1 to 7 prior to the installation of the components of the fastening buckle assembly and showing the slots formed in cover segments to receive the bendable lingers of the buckle assembly components.

FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of a modiiied form of sleeve member which may be employed in an improved fastening buckle assembly according to the present invention.

FIGURE l0 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line lll-10 of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE ll is an elevational view taken substantially on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 9.

Elf-SURE l2 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical cross section, of a slit-forming tool which may be employed to form the linger-receiving slits of the carton cover segments of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 13 is a bottom view of the tool shown in FIGURE l2.

FIGURE 14 is an elevational view taken substantially on the line 14-14 ot" FIGURE 13.

te States Patent 0 Patented dan. 21, 1964 Referring to the drawings, 15 and 16 respectively designate the hinged cover segments of a conventional cardbeard carton made of corrugated cardboard or paper material. Designated generally at 17 is a fastening tongue ember adapted to be secured to the marginal portion of one of the segments, for example, the cover segment 15, and designated generally at 13 is a sleeve member adapted to be secured to the marginal portion of the opposing cover segment 16 in alignment with the tongue member 17 and being arranged to lockingly cooperate with the tongue member, as will be presently described.

The tongue member 17 comprises an elongated main body of resilient material, for example, of sheet metal, said main body being shown at 19. The body 19 tapers in width and terminates in the rounded free end portion Ztl. At its widest end portion the body 19 is formed with a pair of depending bendable fingers 21, 21, said lingers being adapted to be engaged through a pair of parallel slots 22, 22 formed in the cover segment 15 and to be bent laterally outwardly to the positions thereof illustrated in FEGURE 6, wherein it is seen that the lingers 21, 21 closely underlie the bottom surface of the cover segment 15 and thus lockingly secure the tongue member 17 to said cover segment in a position wherein said tongue member extends substantially perpendicular to the adjacent edge 23 of the cover segment.

The sleeve member 1S comprises a suitable main body of sheet metal or other relatively durable material, shown at 24, said main body being formed with the opposing marginal guide channels 25, 25 adapted to receive the margins of the tongue member 19 therein, the body 2dbeing further integrally formed with a pair of depending laterally bendable locking linvers 26, 26 which may be engaged through a pair of parallel slots 27, 27 formed in the cover segment 16 and which may be bent laterally outwardly to the positions thereof illustrated in FEGURE 2, whereby to securely fasten the sleeve member 18 to the cover segment 15 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2. Thus, the slots 27, 27 are accurately aligned with the slots 22, 22, so that the tongue member 17, when installed, is accurately aligned with the sleeve member 13, when installed, so that the tongue member will readily engage through the sleeve member and its side edges will be received in the opposing channels 25, 25.

The body 24 is termed at its respective transverse edges with the upwardly curved guide lips 27, 27 to facilitate the insertion of the body 1@ of tongue member 17 therebeneath, and the body 24 is further formed with a depending, transverse, generally V-shaped locking corrugation ZS located substantially centrally of said body.

The flexible tongue member 17 is formed with a longitudinally extending series of transverse corrugations 3Q, located at the intermediate portion of the tongue body 19 and being of substantial length. The corrugations 30 are adapted to lockingly cooperate with the transverse locking corrugations 2:8 on the body member 24- of sleeve 13 in the manner illustrated FIGURES 4 and 5. Thus, when the ilexible tongue member 17 is inserted through the sleeve 18, the body 19 is pulled through the sleeve, said body being suiiciently resilient to allow the corrugations 3i) to pass the depending locking corrugations 2S beneath the main body 24 of the sleeve member. Thus, the tongue body 19 may be pulled through the sleeve until it is relatively taut, after which it may be bent back over the sleeve member 18 and may be engaged in a ilat locking loop 31 provided on the tongue member adjacent the fingers 21, 21, in the manner illustrated in FGURE 5. With the free end portion of the tongue body 19 engaged in the :dat locking loop 31, the fastening buckle assembly is securely held in locked position, and the cover segments 15 and 16 are held in closed positions.

As will be readily apparent, to unfasten the buckle asn.9 sembly, it is merely necessary to disengage the end portion of the tongue body 1% from the locking sleeve 31, alter which the tongue body may be pulled to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 5, namely, in a direction to di"- engage the tongue member from the sleeve member 18, until finally the tongue member is completely disengaged from the sleeve member, releasing the cover segments and 15.5.

As shown in FGURES 9, 10 and 1l, the sleeve member, shown at 18', may be formed with a plurality of transverse locking corrugations instead of a single corrugation, for example, may be formed with two successive transverse depending locking corrugations 28, 28 instead of with merely a single transverse locking corrugation, as in the form or the invention illustrated in FTGURES 1 to 8.

FIGURES 12, 13 and 14 illustrate a typical slit-forming tool which may be employed to form the aligned pairs oi parallel slits 22, 22 and Z7, 27 shownV in PTGURE 8. Thus, the tool, which is designated generally at 40, may comprise a resilient band 41 of spring steel, or similar resilient material, formed at each end with the pairs of parallel depending blades 42, and 4:3, 43, as shown in in FTGURES 13 and 14. Secured to the band 4i inwardly adjacent the respective blades 42, 42 and 43, 43 are respective ltransversely extending depending stop llanges 44 and 45 adapted to be employed as positioning elements engageable with the edges of the cover segments 1S and 16 to accurately position the slit-forming blades 42, 42 and 43, 43. Thus, for example, the llange 44 engages against the edge 23 of cover segment 15, and the blades 42, 42 are pushed through the cover segment, thereby forming the slots 22, 22 illustrated in FIGURE 8. In a similar manner, the llange 45 is positioned against the edge of the opposing cover segment 16, While the blades 43, 43 are pushed through the cover segment to form the slots 27, 27. lt will thus be seen that the slots 22, 22 and 27, 27 are thus accurately longitudinally aligned with each other because they are formed by the blades 42, 42 and 43, 43 carried on the respective end portions of the elongated aligning band 41. lt will be further seen that the slots are spaced inwardly from the edges of the cover segments by predetermined, accurately established distances, so that the tongue member 17 and sleeve member 18, when subsequently installed, will be spaced apart by the correct distances to insure proper locking cooperation thereof.

While certain specilic embodiments of an improved fastening buckle assembly for a carton have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it Will be understood that various modihcations Within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as del-'ined by the scope of the appended claims.

' V-Jhat is claimed is:

1. A fastening buckle assembly for a carton having a f pair of lunged cover segments comprising a flexible sheet metal tongue member having a pair of integral depending laterally bendable lingers adapted to be lockingly engaged in one oi the cover segments of a carton, and a sheet metal sleeve member shaped to receive said tongue member and having a pair of integral depending laterally bendable lingers adapted to be loclringly engaged in the other cover segment ot the carton, said sheet metal tongue member being formed with at least one transverse locking corrugation and the sheet metal sleeve member being formed with a transverse locking corrugation lockingly engageable with the first-named corrugation when the tongue member is engaged through the sleeve member.

2. A fastening buckle assembly for a carton having a pair of hinged cover segments comprising a flexible sheet metal tongue member having a pair of integral depending laterally bendable lingers adapted to be loclringly engaged in one of the cover segments of a carton, and a sheet metal sleeve member shaped to receive said tongue member and having a pair of integral depending laterally bendable lingers adapted to be lockingly engaged in the other cover segment of the carton, said sheet metal tongue member being formed with a plurality o transversely extending loclring corrugations and the sheet metal sleeve member having a top wall formed with a transverse locking corrngation lockingly engageable with the first-named corrugations when the tongue member is engaged through the sleeve member.

3. A fastening buckle assembly for a carton having a pair of hinged cover segments comprising a flexible longitudinally tapering sheet metal tongue member having a pair of integral depending laterally bendable lingers at its widest end adapted to be lockingly engaged in one ot the cover segments of a carton, a sheet metal sleeve member shaped to receive said tongue member and having a pair or integral depending laterally bendable lingers adapted to be lockingly engaged in the other cover segment of the carton, said sheet metal tongue member being formed with a plurality of transversely extending locking corrugations and the sheet metal sleeve member having a top Wall formed with a transverse locking corrugation lockingly engageable with the first-named corrugations when the tongue member is engaged through the sleeve member, and a flat locking loop mounted on the tongue member adjacent said first-named lingers and being adapted to receive the free end portion or" the tongue member after it has been engaged through the sleeve member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 

1. A FASTENING BUCKLE ASSEMBLY FOR A CARTON HAVING A PAIR OF HINGED COVER SEGMENTS COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE SHEET METAL TONGUE MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF INTEGRAL DEPENDING LATERALLY BENDABLE FINGERS ADAPTED TO BE LOCKINGLY ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE COVER SEGMENTS OF A CARTON, AND A SHEET METAL SLEEVE MEMBER SHAPED TO RECEIVE SAID TONGUE MEMBER AND HAVING A PAIR OF INTEGRAL DEPENDING LATERALLY BENDABLE FINGERS ADAPTED TO BE LOCKINGLY ENGAGED IN THE OTHER COVER SEGMENT OF THE CARTON, SAID SHEET METAL TONGUE MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSE LOCKING CORRUGATION AND THE SHEET METAL SLEEVE MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A TRANSVERSE LOCKING CORRUGATION LOCKINGLY ENGAGEABLE WITH THE FIRST-NAMED CORRUGATION WHEN THE TONGUE MEMBER IS ENGAGED THROUGH THE SLEEVE MEMBER. 